Metadata Rejected vs Rejected (Binary Rejected): what each status means
“App Review didn’t accept your metadata.”
"Metadata Rejected" means App Review turned down something in your App Store listing, such as the description, screenshots or privacy details, and not the app itself: you edit the metadata in App Store Connect and reply, and the same build can stay. "Rejected", the status many people still call "Binary Rejected", means the app wasn't accepted, and fixing it usually means changing the app and uploading a new build. Either way, the message from App Review names the guideline and says what to change.
Checked against Apple’s guidelines on (Apple’s version of ). Apple’s reviewers make the final call.
What Metadata Rejected vs Rejected means
Apple's App Store Connect Help lists the app statuses. Metadata Rejected: App Review didn't accept your metadata, and Apple's instruction is to read the message, edit the metadata to resolve the issue and reply to App Review. Rejected: your app wasn't accepted, and App Review sends the issues to the account's Admin, App Manager and Developer roles.
Two neighbouring statuses are often confused with these. Invalid Binary means the build itself doesn't meet Apple's current binary requirements, and you must upload or select one that does. Developer Rejected means you removed the app from review yourself, and you can resubmit when ready.
Submissions have statuses too. Unresolved Issues means App Review rejected one or more items in a submission. An item can be Accepted while others in the same submission are rejected, and Apple publishes nothing until every item is accepted, so you either fix the rejected items or remove them from the submission and continue with the accepted ones. For TestFlight, a rejected build needs a new build reviewed before you can invite external testers.
The status names the kind of fix; the message tells you the fix. Read the guideline numbers it cites and follow the page for each: most metadata issues fall under Guideline 2.3 and its parts, and most rejections of the app itself under 2.1, 4.2 or 5.1.1.
Why apps are turned down under Metadata Rejected vs Rejected
Metadata Rejected after a listing problem
Screenshots that don't show the app in use, a description promising missing features, other platforms mentioned, or privacy answers that don't match.
Rejected after a problem in the app
A crash, placeholder content, missing account deletion, a web wrapper, a permission without a clear purpose string: anything that needs the code to change.
Rejected only because information was missing
A demo account that didn't work or questions the reviewer couldn't answer; sometimes fixed by replying, with no new build.
How to fix it and resubmit
- Open the App Review section of the app in App Store Connect, read the whole message and note every guideline it cites.
- For Metadata Rejected, edit the listing fields the message names in App Store Connect, then reply to App Review; you don't upload a build.
- For Rejected, change the app, build it again, upload the new build and select it for the version.
- If the message only asks for information, answer it in your reply and fix the App Review Information section; a new build may not be needed.
- Resubmit the version, and if you believe the reviewer misunderstood the app, reply with specifics before considering an appeal.
How Borel helps
Borel shows each app's real review status and version history, read live from Apple once your App Store Connect account is linked, and emails you when Apple approves the version or sends it back.
For a listing fix, you change the name, description, screenshots or category in Borel's publish flow and send again. For a fix in the app, you ask for the change in plain words, and Borel builds the new version on its Mac, signs it and uploads it to App Store Connect, so you never need a Mac or Xcode to resubmit.
Questions people ask
Do I need a new build after Metadata Rejected?
No. Apple's instruction for Metadata Rejected is to edit the metadata to resolve the issue and reply to App Review. The build you submitted can stay.
Is Binary Rejected still a status?
Apple's App Store Connect Help today lists the status as Rejected, next to Metadata Rejected, Invalid Binary and Developer Rejected. People still call a rejection of the app itself "Binary Rejected".
What is the difference between Rejected and Invalid Binary?
Rejected is App Review's decision after looking at the app. Invalid Binary means the uploaded build doesn't meet Apple's current binary requirements, so it never reaches review until you upload or select a valid one.
Who hears about a rejection?
Apple says App Review notifies the App Store Connect users with the Admin, App Manager or Developer role, and the message with the issues is in the App Review section of the app in App Store Connect.
Related guidelines
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